Cisco Expands Intelligent Automation for the Cloud

As companies deploy cloud computing more often, security is becoming an increasing worry for network administrators as they allow third parties to host data and assets that would be typically managed and secured in-house.

To help ease these worries, and provide more automation to secure data and assets in the cloud, Cisco has updated a tool that’s designed to intelligently, and automatically, manage security in a hosted environment. This kind of security will become more important as even engineering systems, with all their complexity, begin to move to the cloud alongside enterprise systems, which have a head start.

Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud 3.1 includes a host of new features that make it easier to add security to a cloud-based network, without a lot of hands-on administration, by setting controls within the tool, said Jason Schroedl, Cisco’s director of product and solutions marketing for its datacenter and cloud management division, in a blog post on the company's website.

A new version of Cisco System’s software for automating the management and security of data and assets in the cloud features a new virtual datacenter feature (shown) that allows a company’s internal project teams or divisions to provision their own pool of cloud reasons exclusively for their use. This, and other features, help companies intelligently automate the protection of cloud assets, the company said. (Source: Cisco Systems)

Schroedl outlined several new features of the product, including virtual datacenters, a resource discovery and tracking tool called CloudSync, and the addition of a network service management tool Cisco already offers.

The new virtual datacenters feature allows administrators to provide project teams or departments with a dedicated pool of computer, storage, and network capacity resources, rather than having them dip into the shared pool. This provides more security, agility, and flexibility for those using such hosted resources, allowing them to manage and provision their own as they scale, without affecting other assets in the cloud.

CloudSync, another new feature of version 3.1, is an infrastructure discovery and resource tracking tool that allows administrators to automate the process of just those things -- discovering, tracking, and then managing all of the cloud environment’s infrastructure assets.

"You can run discovery of the infrastructure inventory on-demand or on a scheduled basis," Schroedl writes. "Your cloud administrators can keep track of infrastructure resources, assess capacity, and prevent sprawl; they also have the visibility and control they need to ensure security and policy compliance."

A third new aspect of version 3.1 is an existing Cisco product -- Network Services Manager. Integrating this product -- which allows for the organization of network resources into containers for use as discrete pools across a network -- into the intelligent management software provides "a foundation for network-as-a-service," according to Schroedl. This gives companies the ability to extend how they use the cloud, and provides potential for different cloud deployments.

More extensibility for the product will come in future versions as Cisco continues to develop product extensions, such as the ability to configure specific environments’ workflows, and upgrading seamlessly without losing these changes.

The software defined data center rolls on. This is a great trend in cloud infrastructure evolution. Security really is a key. Many engineering firms, especially smaller ones, are reluctant to use cloud computing. To some extent there are the liabilty problems. A small to medium firm can be easily put out of business if there is a breach of confidential data. They tend to keep their infrastructure close. There is also the problem of skills. If your IT group is not cloud savvy, this can be a big risk. Automating these tasks can help overcome some of that resistance.

A colleague of mine had his data "managed" by the cloud happy I.T. personnel at his day-job. For all the best intents, the data was inaccessible. The colleague lost it.

He demanded his data back his local machine, the I.T. guy refused arguing his reasons. My colleague said (I'm paraphrasing), "I don't care what your reasons are, don't even say them. Put the data back on my system right now."

I.T. reluctantly said, "Ok, I will get it back to you within the hour."

The colleague, "No, you're going to do it right now."

He didn't leave until it was finished. And the data was returned within 3 minutes.

I agree that it's risky to put data in the cloud and that there are glitches (as exhibited by Caleb's comment) as well as a cultural perception, that must be overcome for it to work. Yes, automation will help, but it's only part of the solution. And ensuring that automation is doing what it's supposed to do also could be a barrier. Cisco's work is a good step in the right direction, and I do think there are a lot of viable scenarios for storing and securing data in the cloud. But it really has to be done with great care by people who know exactly what the risks are and what they are doing.

I agree that the cloud has to overcome some resistance from users but clearly it is the future. It will be interesting to see how it evolves. Using it for remote back-up has been awesome but I have also been unwilling to send select files into the cloud for specific reasons. Working exclusively from the cloud (no local files) would be harder for me to accept especially since local storage is so cheap.

Yes, I think that is one of the reasons for resistance--the accessibility and affordability of local storage. People still get peace of mind from having their files locally where they can always have access to them without worrying where they are "out there somewhere" in the cloud. But perhaps the generations of people who are brought up with the Internet as the norm, using Web-based email and the like (perhaps not even knowing what local-based email clients are!) will feel more comfortable with the cloud.

For me, I think that the emergence of web based applications to eliminate installation hassles and provide automatic software updates is the best argument for the cloud. Many would say they are already here but I can't say I know too many colleagues who have gone this route yet, and some apps still require a local install. I am sure there are individuals and organizations that have made the switch with no turning (or looking) back. I'm still a believer in the cloud but would like to hear from others on this issue and what the tipping point issues are for them.

You know, it's interesting to me--I have covered the technology industry since 2000 and for the last five years or even more all we have heard is how the cloud is poised to be the "next big thing." But adoption still is slower than many would have thought. Sure, people have been quick to embrace Web-based email, but it hasn't gone much further than that. I guess this scenario is nothing new, as we've seen this sort of thing time and again with new technology that's supposed to be all the rage, but then doesn't quite live up to its hype. I still think the cloud has the potential to be a true game-changing technology and be all that and a bag of chips, but as evidenced by all of these comments, there are still serious hurdles to true ubiquity.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

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